Mission at Malfoy Manor
by Bookish Brownie
Summary: Remus and Tonks face their first Order assignment after entering the new territory of romance. Set in OotP.


A/N: This was originally written for the Metamorfic Moon community on LJ for its Autumn Moonlight Jumble. I received the prompts: Foe-Glass, Day of Bliss, Romance and/or Action/Adventure, and Malfoy Manor.

A cold, November rain beat down on Nymphadora Tonks, who was trudging through a grimy deserted alley. She entered an equally dilapidated square and walked toward the hidden Number Twelve. She undid the wardsand went in, leaning back against the door with a sigh.

She opened her eyes and found herself face to face with her grinning boyfriend. Well, she reckoned it was a bit early to be tossingthat term around, but still… "Wotcher."

"Hello." He leant in to kiss her. Just as his lips touched hers, her stomach growled loudly. She felt a flush burn her cheeks. He looked down at her with a grimace of mock-annoyance that barely hid a smile.

"I suppose you want a snack before we leave for our mission." She nodded but not before reaching up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"What is it anyway? I got the note that plans had changed." She let him lead her to the kitchen, but she stopped in the doorway. "Wait, where's the Foe-Glass?"

He looked around briefly. "I don't know. Perhaps Alastor decided that he really did need five of them in his home."

"I still think his mother would kick him out if he brought it back." She would never forget the day that Moody invited her to his house. Unbeknownst to her, it was to ask her to join Albus Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. She was too bowled over by the fact that she had earned enough of the greatest Auror of the age's trust to be invited to his house to care about the reason for it. When he had clasped her wrist and Side-Along Apparated her on the last day of June, she had been met with the sight of a red-faced, slightly hunched old woman hanging washing on some clotheslines and a Foe-Glass sitting in the middle of the front garden.

"Alastor Melvin Moody," she had screeched, "if you don't move that infernal 'dark detector' soon, don't think of staying here!" She hadn't been able to contain her laughter at how he still lived with his mother, on top of his middle name. He had merely muttered something indistinct and dragged Tonks through the front door to a back office. She still couldn't resist the urge to take the mickey out of him whenever the opportunity arose, or even if it didn't.

Remus chuckled slightlyand smiled warmly at her, and she was forcefully reminded of the day that first occasioned the discussion. It was the beginning of September, and she and Remus had comeinto the kitchenat the same time for a meeting. She had known him for about two months, but she still didn't know what to make of him. He was polite, of course, intelligent, and quietly good-natured. But he was also reserved, and overly formal. Besides, there were times, few and far between at first, when she caught the most intriguing glimpses of the Marauder he must once have been.

However, conversations that consisted almost entirely of "It was nice outside today; I actually saw the sun." and "Yes, the cloud cover was rather light today." were not going to get her anywhere.

"Maybe Kreacher took it. Sirius and I found that he absconded with some maps the other day."

"Well, at least there's a slight improvement in the appearance of the room."

"Oh, I don't know. I think it gave the room character." She rolled her eyes and he grinned at her.

It was his spark of cheerfulness that had always appealed to her the most. Just as that day in September when they had entered to find Moody putting the mirror in place. She had asked what a Foe-Glass was doing in the kitchen. And he had responded it would help the Order be constantly vigilant as if she'd asked him what _Expelliarmus _did. Surely any enemy of his was an enemy of the Order, too; they needed to know when Dark Wizards were about.

She couldn't hold in her snort as she asked him, "Did your mother finally make good on her threat to throw you out?" Mad-Eye had made some sort of spluttering defense and then promptly left, murmuring about young people and their cheek. She'd glanced over at Remus then and was struck by his eyes that were positively twinkling with mirth, even though he wasn't chuckling or even smiling. She thought that he really ought to look like that more often. She wanted to make him happy, blissful even.

She'd told him the story of her visit to Moody's house. That had led to their first genuine conversation and the realization that she could encourage him to show much more of his true self that he normally kept hidden. By the time the meeting started, he had abandoned most of his reticence and they were on their way to being true friends.

She found herself smiling wistfully at the memory when she realized that she should probably respond somehow. "I don't know about character, but it is a shame that it's gone actually. I always wanted to see if it would show me as an enemy if I tried to sneak up and pull a prank on him."

"That would involve sneaking up on him." He started rummaging in the cupboards for some food.

She rejoined, "I said I would _try_, not that I would succeed."

"You obviously have no sense of self-preservation."

"He likes me. Maybe I should dare Sirius sometime; that would be another story." She slid into a seat at the table.

He turned back toward her. "Indeed. Apparently, no one's done any shopping in a while." He held out two bags of crisps toward her. "Cheddar or salt and vinegar?"

"Salt and vinegar, of course." Tossing it to her, he sat and opened the other bag. They munched silently for a few minutes, making a game of periodically shooting coy glances at each other.

When they finished, Remus answered her earlier question. "We're going to Malfoy Manor." He frowned in thought. "Do you remember the meeting that Kingsley learned Fudge was having there that was supposed happen next week? He and Hestia were going to be on stakeout, but it was moved to this afternoon. Dumbledore's worried; he thinks someone found out that the Order knew about it."

An unsettling prospect occurred to her. They already had a spy in Voldemort's midst; what if they were really the ones being played? There was a part of her that didn't trust Snape. As the most junior member of the Order, she didn't feel that it was her place to question the wisdom of his being privy to all the Order's secrets. But she was less willing than Remus to put her faith so completely in Dumbledore's judgment on the matter.

She pushed such ideas aside for the time being. "Then, it's a good thing I only had the morning shift today."

"Yes, Dung was the only other one available. I'd much rather spend a few hours in close quarters with you under an Invisibility Cloak than with him."

"Wow! I'm flattered, Remus. You really know how to give a girl a compliment."

His only response was to take her face in his hands and kiss her. It had only been a week since their first date and first kiss, but she didn't think she would ever get tired of the sensations of his mouth moving in time with hers. She put her hands on his shoulders as he wove his fingers into her hair. They kissed more intensely than they ever had before, and she thought that she was in real danger of melting.

It seemed like this kiss was almost just a continuation of their first, which she remembered very clearly. He had dropped her off at her flat after their date and was looking at her almost hesitantly. But she smiled at him and clasped his hands. He got the hint, and his lips covered hers, gently and sweetly at first, but purposefully too. She couldn't remember the last time she was so joyful. Even amidst the ever-darkening times, that the war could provide opportunities for moments like this was magical in the best way.

As she thought about all that had passed between them so far, she wanted only to keep on kissing him.

But she knew they had to leave soon. She drew back reluctantly and dropped her hands into her lap. "That was a better compliment." He grinned, but she adopted her most serious expression before he could reply. "So, what's the plan?"

"Moody showed me the place to Apparate this morning. It's about a mile away from the grounds, so no one unfriendly should hear it. We Disillusion ourselves and walk to the Manor." He drew out a Reduced packet of silvery material from his jacket pocket. "Then we put on the Cloak and wait for Fudge. Dumbledore wants us to slip inside when they open the gate for him."

"Is that a good idea? If anything goes wrong, we'll be trapped." She didn't even want to think about what Lucius Malfoy would do to two Order members found on his property, especially his freak Metamorphmagus of a niece and a notorious werewolf.

"There's not much room for error, but we won't be able to see anything if we aren't within the grounds. His hedges block out everything." She had no argument against that.

He looked at his watch. "We should probably go in a few minutes." He took a deep breath and gazed at her searchingly; he seemed to considering the wisdom of saying anything further. He continued, "Listen, Tonks, if anything does happen, I want you to get away if you can, _with or without me_."

"Bollocks, Remus!"

"I mean it, Tonks."

"I know you do; that's what's so ridiculous. Would you ever, even on pain of the Cruciatus Curse or death, _ever _think of escaping without me?"

"No, of course not."

"Then don't expect me to. That's why we're different from the Death Eaters. I would never leave you, even if you were just a colleague to me." They were both breathing rather heavily by this point. Remus seemed to be about to argue more, but her glare silenced him.

"Fine. It was worth a try." She was unnerved and chagrined that he would ask her such a thing. However, she supposed it was consistent with what she knew of him and his past. She was tempted to be angry, but she knew he had the best intentions and didn't really expect her to agree.

"So, you won't do anything stupid and self-sacrificing?" She thought it was a bit much to ask, but if he could do it so could she.

"I'll try. I really don't fancy getting caught by the Death Eaters." He reached out and squeezed her shoulder, letting his fingers trail down her arm and take her hand. "I didn't mean to sound like a condescending prat. I just want you to be careful."

"I know." She kissed him once lingeringly. They really did have to leave. They moved toward the front door and put on their cloaks. He opened the door and ushered her out. They walked hand in hand toward the alley that served as their Apparition point. He wrapped his arms around her lightly to take them where they needed to go.

They arrived in a small copse of trees on the edge of a field. They Disillusioned themselves; fortunately, the day was overcast and drizzly. As they began walking toward their destination, she didn't know quite what to say to fill the silence. It was their first assignment since becoming something more than friends. She was determined to remain professional, but that didn't mean they couldn't talk at all, did it?

Eventually, she found herself blurting, "This is awkward, isn't it?" Her cheeks flushed painfully. She simultaneously wished she could see his face and was glad that he couldn't see hers.

"Hmm, I suppose. A bit. It doesn't have to be."

"I just don't know what to talk about," she admitted ruefully.

"Ah, there must be something between lighthearted banter and grim war talk. I'm sure we'll think of something; we always manage to figure things out together." He reached out for her hand and squeezed it. She was suddenly aware of how close they were walking under the cloak. But, somehow, that detail didn't unnerve her. For the moment, she and Remus were just two colleagues on a mission.

They could do it. Like Remus said, they were always able to work out solutions between them. She chided herself for ever believing their shift into romance would damage their partnership.

When they were in sight of Malfoy's majestic hedges and were walking along the tree-lined path that led to the manor, he removed the Invisibility Cloak from his pocket and draped it around them. They had arrived about forty-five minutes before Fudge was due, so they settled behind a convenient shrub that was near the front gate. Simultaneously dropping the Disillusionment, they scanned their surroundings.

Tonks was on high alert. Something about this meeting felt wrong. If Dumbledore was right and the Death Eaters expected someone from the Order, it would be a perfect trap. She was so edgy that she practically jumped out of her skin when Remus casually rested his hand on the ground between them and it landed on top of hers. He whispered a quick apology but didn't lift his hand away. She let herself relax minutely. They had a clear field of vision, and it would be difficult for anyone to creep up on them.

Eventually, they heard twin cracks of Apparition. They re-Disillusioned themselves and began creeping closer to the entrance.

Fudge strode imperiously up to the gate as if he owned the place; his efforts were rather impaired by that ridiculous lime green bowler he wore. He was closely followed by his harried and uncomfortable-looking assistant.

Pressed flat against the hedge, she felt the whisper of Fudge's cloak swish by her. She felt Remus squeeze her hand as a signal they should follow. Only moments after they were safely inside the gate clanged shut. They leaned against the hedge, as close to the gate as possible while still within earshot of the table the Malfoys had in the front of the house.

The first thing she noticed was the immaculately kept garden. There were delicate stone paths throughout and tastefully arranged rose bushes here and there. The water of several fountains splashed merrily into its basins. They had obviously paid top galleon for the designers and plants. But, for some reason she couldn't identify, the whole place made her shudder. She was that her and her parents had never been invited here.

Nonetheless, their care of their landscaping was evident, as several groundskeepers wandered around doing odd jobs, including one big blond bloke who was performing some sort of pruning charm on the hedge.

Lucius Malfoy looked perfectly at home, stood before them in all his finery, giving a slight bow. "Good afternoon, Minister. I'm honored to have you in my home." He placed a certain emphasis on "minister." It was well played. Everyone knew that Fudge was becoming increasingly paranoid about threats to his power. He practically craved validation.

"Now, Lucius, I insist that you call me Cornelius. This is just an informal meeting between friends." Tonks had to fight to hold back a derisive snort at that.

"Of course." His smile was self-satisfied. They went on to exchange the normal pleasantries and small talk about each other's families. Finally, after several glasses of what looked like the Malfoy's finest and well-aged wine and a rare cigar each, Malfoy asked the question that was surely in the back of his mind throughout the interlude. "Has there been any more trouble at the Department of Mysteries? I was shocked to hear about that Ministry employee poking around where he shouldn't have been back in August."

She felt a moment of panic when she could have sworn that Malfoy looked pointedly directly where they were standing, but then he resumed looking at Fudge as if nothing were amiss. Meanwhile, Percy was fiddling with a quill and looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else.

"Yes, it was rather horrible. But we haven't had any incidents since then."

"That's good to hear." He probably didn't really feel that way; she was certain that he couldn't wait for another Order member to get caught while on duty. And she definitely did not mistake his stare in their direction the second time. Remus froze beside her. If Malfoy actually knew they were there, they didn't stand any real chance of escaping.

Her pulse beat at a staccato tempo, but she forced herself to retain a veneer of calm. There was really no way for Malfoy to be seeing them, was there? They were doubly protected and hadn't made any audible mistakes. (She was particularly grateful that she hadn't tripped over anything and blown their cover.) There had to be some other explanations for his continual glances toward the stretch of hedge where they stood.

Action continued around them. The groundskeeper she had noticed previously continued performing the charm on the hedges and nearby bushes, and another joined him. Malfoy and Fudge continued talking about mutual friends and the petty politics of the Ministry. Percy Weasley continued fidgeting. And Remus and Tonks continued watching.

Eventually the sky began to darken. Tonks honestly couldn't see the point behind their conversation. Malfoy hadn't seemed to ask any relevant questions besides the one about trespassers in the Ministry. He hadn't subtly asked for any favors in exchange for more political contributions. Although he did seem to be stalling Fudge and drawing out his stay. Every time Fudge started the niceties of saying farewell Malfoy would change the subject and keep him talking for another ten minutes.

She had a small moment of panic when she realized that she had inadvertently removed her hand from under the cloak, but she sighed when she remembered that she was still Disillusioned. She felt a prick on her finger, but didn't think anything of it.

Apparently, Malfoy couldn't hold Fudge any longer because he stood shook his hand. "It was nice to chat with you, Lucius. I hope we can meet again soon."

"Of course. It's always a pleasure, Cornelius. I'm sure we'll run into each other." He waved his wand and the gate opened with a creaky groan.

Fudge and Percy strode out while Remus and Tonks slid along the hedge, just managing to slip outside. The two men Apparated immediately. Remus and Tonks began to walk back the way they had come. She was still on high alert from the way Malfoy kept looking towards them. She couldn't help but feel that something was off.

She was right.

The sound of pounding footsteps filled her ears. She spun around, but there was no one in sight. Remus removed the cloak, so that they would have more freedom of motion. The footsteps faded away, but she didn't believe for a minute that whoever was following them had gone.

Some minutes later they reached the woods where their Apparition point lay. The walk took considerably longer the second time because they kept glancing around and moving very carefully.

When she thought they were clear, she saw a flash of red light and dodged it just in time. Meanwhile, the second beam flew toward them from the opposite direction. She and Remus weren't idle, shooting off Stunners and casting Shield Charms.

She had never fought invisible opponents before. It was certainly disconcerting. She supposed that they were at the same disadvantage, but it wasn't a very comforting thought at the moment.

She was reminded of the few Muggle boxing matches she had seen on the tele-whatsit at her grandparents' house. She was constantly ducking and weaving out of the way of some spell, not knowing until the last second what she needed to do.

Then, she crouched down behind another Shield Charm. She fired off every useful spell she knew, but only after she saw where someone fired at her. The last thing she wanted to do was to accidentally hit Remus. She just hoped no stray Muggle decided to go for a late afternoon stroll.

She heard yelps of pain and surprise several times and knew she had made contact. She saw light of every color coming from somewhere in the trees. She guessed that Remus was using some very inventive hexes.

At one point, a curse grazed her arm. It wasn't deep, but it hurt like bloody hell. And then the barrage of fire quieted. She knew better than to expect that it was the end. Realizing that she had become separated from Remus amid their battle, she hesitantly said his name because Disillusioning herself so he could see her would have been infinitely stupid.

A hand touched her arm. She first thought it was one of their assailants, but it was Remus' voice that said her hated first name. "Are you all right?" he whispered.

"Yeah. I don't know what we should do, though. I don't think we can Apparate when we don't know where the others are."

"I agree. One of Moody's Foe-Glasses would certainly come in handy about now. But I don't think it's a good idea to just sit here."

"Okay." He stood and pulled her up with him. Tonks suddenly noticed that the woods were completely silent. Not in the soft lull of dusk. Silent. Remus obviously recognized the same thing because she felt his posture stiffen.

"Tonks, go. I'll-"

She hissed, "Don't even think about it, Remus. We don't have time to start another argument." The squelch of damp and half-decaying fallen leaves brought them firmly back to the present moment.

A flash of light appeared in front of them. It was followed by two cracks of Apparition. The light spread and fell; it broke into smaller and smaller particles. They arranged themselves into words. "_We let you get away this time. Just tell the Order that we know all about your spies. We have our own, and many more wizards see the wisdom of joining the Dark Lord. Remember well our power and your own weakness._"

They took a minute to let the message sink in as the light faded into a nebulous haze and then to nothingness. They undid the Disillusionment Charms and faced each other; both sighed with relief when they realized that the other was largely unscathed. When they were sure that they wouldn't splinch themselves, they decided to Apparate to Grimmauld Place.

It took some time to tell Sirius their story and handle his dark looks at being unable to participate in such adventures. Finally, they were alone in the library, sitting side by side on the sofa. Tonks performed a quick healing spell on her arm, and as she looked down at it she remembered her pricked finger. It didn't look swollen or infected, but it wasn't completely closed over as she expected.

"Did you prick your finger, too?" Remus asked curiously. She nodded. They both held their fingers out; the small wounds were identical.

"That's really weird. Do you think it means anything?"

"I'm not sure, but we should probably write it up in our report to Dumbledore."

She voiced another thought that had been bothering her all evening. "I guess Malfoy must have known we were there."

"I know. I had the strangest sensation that he was staring at us sometimes." She was glad that he had been affected too. She leaned into him more and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"And I think his meeting with Fudge was a diversion. Did you see how Malfoy kept trying to make him stay and have another cigar or something?"

"Yes, and I'd really like to know how they found out where we were." She nodded and wound her arms around his middle.

"But we can think about all that tomorrow. I'm just glad we both got back safe and sound."

"Indeed." He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

She might have had a harrowing day. And it certainly wasn't a day of bliss, well except for a part in the middle and now. But she thought that, if she could look forward to this at the end of every one, then she would gladly endure a million of them.

The End


End file.
